Pretty girls, dresses, and a whole lot of drama

Sounds like today’s society right?  In some ways that’s a correct statement but I’m talking about 1899 in New York, the setting of this week’s novel.

This week I re-read The Luxe, the first of the four Luxe novels.  The fourth novel, Splendor, just came out recently so I decided to go back and refresh myself of the characters and what is going on in their lives.

What’s interesting about this book is that there’s a Prologue giving hints to the end of the story, but the rest of the novel starts from the beginning and returns to the events mentioned in the Prologue.  To not completely give away the ending, I’ll start from the 1^st chapter.

Elizabeth and Diana Holland are members of Manhattan’s upper society.  It is a world full of glittering gowns, marvelous parties, and flirtations galore.  Elizabeth is very close to whom she considers her best friend, Penelope Hayes.  Penelope is infatuated with Henry Schoonmaker, who we learn through the novel isn’t exactly in love with Penelope, but likes Diana.  However, due to the Holland’s father wasting away their fortune, Elizabeth is being forced to marry Henry as his father wants Henry to reflect well on him with a good wife since Henry’s dad is running for mayor.  Meanwhile, Elizabeth is in love with one of the coachmen, Will Keller, one of Elizabeth and her maid, Lina’s closest friends as children.  Lina too, is in love with Will but he doesn’t return her feelings either.

The novel focuses mostly on planning the upcoming nuptials between Henry and Elizabeth, and all of society preparing for what has been called the wedding of the century.  Rumors spread from person to person and eventually reach Penelope.  What are these rumors?  I’ll leave that for you to find out.  This is definitely a book you have to read for yourself, but if you can wait a week for my review of Rumors, the second book in the Luxe series, you’ll find out!

The Tsar is returning to Russia?

Well, not in real life.  But have you ever wondered what it would be like if Russia had remained an autocracy?  I’ve always been curious, but then again, I love history, and it’s one of the reasons why I read this book.

The Romanov Prophecy by Steve Berry begins with the failure of Communism in Russia.  The citizens have decided to bring back the tsar, who will be chosen from relatives of the last tsar, Nicholas II.  Miles Lord, an American lawyer, is in Russia to prove that Stefan Balkanov is the closest heir and he should rule as the next tsar.  However, while having lunch with Artemis Bely in Moscow shots are fired, killing Bely and forcing Lord to flee.

Lord survives, and heads back to work but finds something interesting. In letters written between Tsar Nicholas and the tsarina, Alexandra, she tells Nicholas about a prophecy Rasputin – the only man who could heal the tsarevich, Alexei – told her.  Rasputin foretold his death, but different things would happen depending who killed him.  The worst case scenario was that if Rasputin was killed by a member of the Romanov family, none of the Romanovs would survive past two years.

Next, Lord meets Semyon Pashenko, a professor at Moscow State University.  Pashenko questions the fact that since two bodies of the Romanovs were never found (Alexei and one of the Grand Duchesses, Anastasia) there might be a direct heir still alive, causing a problem for Lord’s client.  Pashenko urges Lord to visit, St. Petersburg, but while returning to Moscow the same men from Moscow are after him again.  Lord ducks into a train car meeting Akilina Petrovna, an acrobat, who shields him from the men, who Lord suspects are members of the mafiya, the Russian mafia.

Lord and Petrovna are chased again once back in Moscow, but are saved by one of Pashenko’s men.  They are taken to Pashenko’s home, where he tells the duo he is the leader of the Holy Band, who were formed to protect the tsar.  Pashenko reveals that Lord’s information that he found about Kolya Maks and Starodug is the beginning of a quest to find Alexi and Anastasia.  Lord and Petrovna are the raven (Lord) and eagle (Akilina means eagle in old Russia) that Rasputin mentioned in his prophecy.

Soon Lord and Petrovna are off on a wild chase finding clue after clue to find the youngest Romanov survivors.  They visit other parts of Russia and even the United States.  The question is – is there really a direct descendant of Nicholas II still alive?  How will this affect Lord and his career as a lawyer to defend Balkanov’s claim?  I’m not going to spoil it for you readers, for this is something you have to read for yourself.

I am a big fan of historical fiction and as a child I loved the cartoon movie, Anastasia.  I thought it would be very cool to find out one day that I was a long lost duchess and had a family I never knew about.  Many have speculated when the two bodies were found missing that Anastasia and Alexei did survive – but recently, remains were found and all of the Romanovs are finally at rest.  Still, it would’ve been interesting if a direct descendant remained alive, let alone restoring the monarchy like Barry did in this novel. 

I would highly recommend this novel, especially if you’re a big history buff like me.

What’s up for next week?  I’m going to reread a book series which just came out with its fourth and final novel.  The series is The Luxe by Anna Gobbersen.  I’m excited to see how this series comes to an end!

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll be back next week!

When in France...

Do as the French do…right?  Unless it’s during the French Revolution and everything seems to be falling apart.  Then you do whatever you need to do to survive.

This week’s book is The Queen’s Dollmaker by Christine Trent.  It focuses on Claudette Laurent, a young Frenchwoman.  This book spans the years 1765 to 1795, a crucial time in French history.

As a child, Claudette and her best friend Jean-Philippe had a chance encounter with the new Dauphine (or Princess) of France, Marie Antoinette.  Several years later Claudette is thrust into the chaos of France in 1781.  Claudette thinks fondly of Jean-Philippe, and they have secretly betrothed each other, promising to wed after his apprenticeship is over.

However, her father, a dollmaker, and her mother die in a fire, and Claudette is forced to run away.  Soon she along with other women get on a ship bound for England – escaping the chaos of France.  Claudette bonds with Beatrice du Georges, who is traveling with her daughter Marguerite since Beatrice’s husband passed away, leaving her unable to provide for Marguerite.

Another storyline in this book is the one concerning Marie Antoinette.  She and Louis are suddenly thrust to the throne after the death of Louis XV, and she is scared because she knows they are too young to reign.

Claudette goes through many adventures while in England, working for a few different families as a maid.  She eventually starts making dolls, like her father, to make more money.  Claudette comes in contact at a party for her mistress with William, who is clearly smitten with her.

Eventually, Claudette leaves her job and opens her own doll shop with help of Beatrice and Marguerite.  Claudette becomes very successful, even catching the attention of the Queen of France.  She even travels to France and makes a special doll for her majesty herself, while also reuniting with Jean-Philippe.  Claudette is unsure if she should go with Jean-Philippe or William, who has promised to marry her.

Claudette soon comes into trouble due to her close ties with the Queen.  I’ll leave it up for you the reader to uncover though.  You may know how Marie Antoinette’s story ends, but I won’t spoil Claudette’s fate.

I found this book to be interesting, since a lot of the fiction I have read during this time period usually is about England or even the colonial United States.  I really liked Claudette’s character and how she would do anything to survive, yet honor the memory of her father by making dolls.

That’s it for this week.  What’s up for next week?  I think I’m going to read a book about the Romanovs, the former royal family of Russia.  It’s completely fiction but I think you will all enjoy it.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ll be reading next week!

Should you be ashamed to fall in love?

I don’t think so.  Why?  You never know when it will hit you and change your life forever.

Born in Shame is the third and final book of Nora Robert’s “Born In” trilogy, following Born in Fire and Born in Ice, the two books that I blogged about the past two weeks.  While the first two books were about the Concannon sisters Maggie and Brianna, this book focuses on Shannon Bodine.

We’ve got *SPOILERS* in this post, so be warned!

The book starts off with Shannon’s sick mother, Amanda, telling Shannon the truth.  The man who Shannon knew as her father (who recently passed away) wasn’t her biological father.  That man was Tom Concannon – a man Amanda met while on a vacation with a friend in Ireland.  They met, fell in love, and made love as well.  After returning to America, Amanda learned she was pregnant with his child, which is Shannon.  However, Amanda’s family, who were very strict Catholics, wanted her to give up the baby to avoid scandal.  So Amanda left and then met the man who Shannon knew as her father, Colin Bodine.  After telling her daughter the truth, Amanda goes to sleep and never wakes again – she dies in her sleep.

Meanwhile in Ireland, Brianna is now happily married to Grayson (Gray) Thane, and had a child of her own – a daughter named Kayla.  Both she and Maggie are getting close to finding the identity of their half-sibling through a private detective, who is heading to Columbus, Ohio to follow the latest lead. 

The detective arrives in Ohio, where Shannon is a little surprised to learn that she has two siblings in Ireland.  She sends him away, and heads back to New York to work as an advertisement designer.  Shannon gets a letter from Brianna, inviting Shannon to come to Ireland and stay in the bed-and-breakfast.  Shannon accepts and soon is on her way to Ireland.  She meets her sister’s at the airport, and is soon introduced to the rest of the family – including Liam who was a baby in the last book and now is a tumbling little toddler.

We are soon reintroduced to Murphy Muldoon, Brianna’s next-door neighbor who runs a farm with various animals.  He’s curious to see what their Yank sister looks like, since a lot of the residents of County Clare thought he’d end up with Maggie or Brianna.  When he first sees Shannon, he is mesmerized and unable to speak.  He even leaves his plate full from tea, something Maggie noticed he never usually does.

Important parts to this story are dreams and folklore.  When Murphy first sees Shannon, he believes she’s the fairy queen and he is under her spell.  Shannon has been dreaming of a warrior with a broach, majestic and handsome.  Both have these same types of dreams throughout the book.

Shannon and Murphy start to bond.  They walk in the mornings along his farm – Shannon even pets a cow for the first time.  He teaches her to play one of his instruments.

Shannon begins to paint again, something she hasn’t done for a long time.  Things get interesting when Maggie and Brianna’s mother, Maeve, stops by for a visit.  Maeve isn’t too happy Shannon is in the house, since she kept her vows to not be with anyone else.  Maeve wants Shannon to leave, but Brianna said since she was invited Shannon is more than welcome to stay and Maeve decides she won’t come back until Shannon is out of the house.

Murphy and Shannon’s relationship keeps evolving.  They have dinner, and he asks if he can court her.  Shannon’s not sure if she wants that.  She keeps painting, even perking the interest of Rogan to have a showing of her work in one of Worldwide Galleries shops.  Again, Shannon is confused.  But her feelings for Murphy are growing, they even make love.

I’m not going to spoil the ending, but the question you’ll answer when you read the end is this – will Shannon follow her head and go back to life in New York, or follow her life and stay with Murphy?  It’s an ending I was surprised to read, and I know you’ll enjoy it too.

This whole series was a pleasure to read.  Each book was a little bit different because each of the sisters are different.  Yet they all found love, and even developed a close relationship with each other.  That’s the most important thing I got out of this book – love and family are important because that’s what you really need to survive in life.

This book is just another great example of Nora Roberts’s great novels.  If you’d like to learn more about this book or any others by Nora visit Roberts’s website at noraroberts.com.

For next week’s blog I’m still deciding on what to read.  After reading this trilogy I’m trying to find something different – so keep your eyes out for what I’m reading next week.

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll be reading next week!

I guess I need to make a trip to Ireland..

Perhaps then I’ll have a whirlwind romance of my own!

As a friendly heads up, there are some *SPOILERS* in this post. 

Born in Ice is the second in the Born In trilogy, by Nora Roberts.  This book follows the events that occurred in Born in Fire, which I reviewed last week.  While Fire focused on Maggie Concannon, Ice focuses on Brianna, the younger sister who operates a bed-and-breakfast called Blackthorn Cottage.  While exploring the attic, Brianna discovers her father, Tom, got another woman pregnant who lived in New York and had his child.  Brianna goes to tell her sister, Maggie, who is now pregnant herself with her and Rogan’s first child.  Brianna and Maggie decide to send a private investigator to find out if their half-sibling is out somewhere in the U.S.

Brianna’s latest guest is the American mystery writer, Grayson (Gray) Thane, who is visiting County Clare to write his latest novel.  He is curious about his hostess and tries to learn more about her by asking questions, which Brianna won’t answer.  They soon adjust to each other at the house, getting used to the daily routine.  However, Gray does convince Brianna to go out with him to a nice restaurant in town.  They both enjoy the evening a lot, but Gray soon locks himself away in his room writing only to come out after a few days to kiss Brianna.

Soon another guest comes to the cottage, a British man named Herbert Smythe-White.  While adjusting to the new guest an invitation comes for Brianna to go to her Uncle Niall’s wedding to Rogan’s grandmother, Christine.  Brianna doesn’t want to leave her business, but Gray convinces her to go and let a neighbor take care of the business.  They kiss again, and they both enjoy it but Brianna doesn’t want to be rushed.  She is unsure of this relationship, since her last one with Rory didn’t end well and she is also a virgin. They go to Gray’s room to realize money has been stolen.  They go to Dublin and have a great time.

Next Maggie and Brianna decide to send their mother, Maeve, to Rogan and Maggie’s villa on the Mediterranean, but she doesn’t want to go.  She reminds her daughters that Maggie was conceived in sin (since Maggie was conceived out of wedlock) and Brianna was a child of duty because Maeve didn’t love their father.  Maeve even admits she didn’t share a bed with their father after Brianna was born.  The girls decide to send her anyway and she does enjoy it.

Meanwhile, Maggie gives Brianna a nephew, Liam.

Brianna and Gray go on with life at the cottage.  After asking about Rory, Brianna tells Gray all about her past, including how her father has another child with a different woman.  Gray offers to help as well.  Brianna soon learns that Rory was forced away by Brianna’s mother when Maeve told Rory Brianna slept with Murphy, the farmer who lives next door.  She is in tears when she returns home, but Gray comforts her and they make love for the first time.  Brianna tells Gray she loves him.  They travel to New York and enjoy it there, but then have to return to Ireland.  There they learn that Maggie and Brianna have a half-sister somewhere in the United States.

Gray’s time runs out and he has to return to give his publisher his latest novel.  He leaves Brianna, and she is upset after he’s gone.  Gray soon realizes the ending to his novel isn’t right – his main character left his woman but Gray didn’t want to leave Brianna.  He returns to Brianna and asks her to marry him, and she says yes.

I like this book just as much as the first.  I was happy that it continued with characters from the previous books, even seeing Maggie with her own child – something I thought would never have happened unless she had met Rogan in Fire.  Maggie and Brianna are two completely different women yet they both experience love unexpectedly, which is something I really liked.

This book is just another great example of Nora Roberts’s great talent as an author.  If you’d like to learn more about this book or any others by Nora visit Roberts’s website at noraroberts.com.

Next week I’ll continue with the next book in the trilogy – Born in Shame.  From what I’ve learned online it is about Shannon, Maggie and Brianna’s half sister.  Hopefully it will be just as good as the others!

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll be reading next week!